Fate and Destiny
by Emma8745
Summary: She was interested in him. He was interested in her. Now it was up to fate to decide their destiny. A Finchel story. A/U
1. Chapter 1

**New story :) I'm writing Finchel this time! No worries, I refuse to let this interfere with my other story and still plan on trying to update either everyday every other day :)**

**anyways, enjoy the story! **

**-disclaimer for whole story, i don't own glee-**

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She watched him out of amusement from the other side of the room. He stood in front of the mirror, attempting to tie his tie for what had to be the millionth time. He would almost get it correct, but mess up at the very end. He would then pull it apart and try again, more frustrated every time.

Finally she took pity on him, and crossed the room to him. He had just pulled his tie apart and was preparing to try again.

"Need any help?" She asked.

He turned to face her, a short brunette pointing towards his tie. When he didn't answer right away she took the tie from him anyways and began to tie it for him.

"What's the occasion?" She asked.

"Engagement party for my mom's friend. So, I'm here renting a suit," he answered. "What about you?"

"Does a girl need an excuse to buy a new dress?" She asked.

"I guess not," he responded. "I'm Finn."

"Hello, Finn. It's nice to meet you," she held out her hand for him to shake, which he did. "I'm Rachel."

"Rachel, it's nice to meet you too," he said. "And thanks for the help with the tie. It's kind of embarrassing to ask for help with that."

Rachel held up both of her hands. "No judgement."

He smiled at the girl, "I don't suppose you'd like to go and get some coffee or something?"

"That sounds great, but unfortunately I already have plans for the afternoon," Rachel said. "But next time we run into each other we will be sure to make plans."

"How do we know that we will see each other again?" Finn asked.

"We don't," Rachel said simply. "If we are meant to see each other again, we will. Don't you believe in fate? Destiny?"

"I guess I've never given it much thought."

"Well it's never too late to give it a chance!" Rachel said excitedly.

"Hopefully I'll see you around."

"Yeah, hopefully." He watched as she skipped back over to her previous spot on the other side of the room. She was intriguing. And he couldn't help but want to know more.

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**There it is! :) Please review! Your opinion means the world to me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here is chapter two! Enjoy!**

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Finn sipped gingerly at his coke as he say at his table at the engagement party. He wasn't a fan of these kinds of things. He had always hated big parties. He already knew that when he got married his party would be super small just for family and close friends.

"Finn!" He heard he voice from behind him, and he already knew who was coming to bother him.

"Hey Sugar," he said uncomfortably. "What are you doing here?"

He knew Sugar from school. One time in the sixth grade he let her sit next to him on the bus ride to a field trip because no one else would let her, and she refused to leave him alone since. He understood why no one else wants her. She was super clingy, super annoying, and super in love with him. So, he shouldn't be surprised that she was at the party.

"Ronald (the man of the newly engaged couple) is my mom's co-worker. I didn't want to come here because I thought I wouldn't know anyone my age, but look who I found!" She threw her arms around his neck, "This might not be such a bad party after all."

"Uhh, yeah," he replied, formulating a plan to get away from her. "Listen, Sugar, I really need t-"

_"Hello everyone!"_

Finn turned around to see Laurie (the woman of the newly engaged couple) standing on stage.

"Hello! First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight. It means so much to Ronald and I," Laurie began. "My little cousin has agreed to sing us a song! Here she is!"

Laurie stepped off stage to let her cousin step on. Her cousin walked to the microphone and cleared her throat.

"Good evening," she spoke, her voice soft, sweet, and very familiar.

Finn squinted his eyes to try and get a better look. His eyes widened when he realized who the girl was. _Rachel_.

Rachel opened her mouth then, and began to sing.

_Something has changed within me_  
_Something is not the same_  
_I'm through with playing by the rules_  
_Of someone else's game_  
_Too late for second-guessing_  
_Too late to go back to sleep_  
_It's time to trust my instincts_  
_Close my eyes and leap!_

_It's time to try_  
_Defying gravity_  
_I think I'll try_  
_Defying gravity_  
_And you can't pull me down!_

_I'm through accepting limits_  
_'cause someone says they're so_  
_Some things I cannot change_  
_But till I try, I'll never know!_  
_Too long I've been afraid of_  
_Losing love I guess I've lost_  
_Well, if that's love_  
_It comes at much too high a cost!_  
_I'd sooner buy_  
_Defying gravity_  
_Kiss me goodbye_  
_I'm defying gravity_  
_And you can't pull me dow_

_Bring me down! Ahhhh_!

The entire audience erupted into applause. Rachel was incredible!

Finn unhooked Sugar from around his arms and escaped her grasp. His eyes scanned the gigantic ballroom for Rachel, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Finn? Do you need something?"

He turned around to see Laurie.

"Yes, your cousin, where did she go?"

"Oh, she could only stay for half the party. That's why I had her sing her song so early in the evening," Laurie explained.

"So, she's gone? To where?"

"I'm not sure. I think she said something about an audition," Laurie said. "Sorry, you just missed her."

"No, that's alright," Finn said.

"Okay, I'll see you around," Laurie smiled and then returned to her friends.

Finn looked around one last time. _Crap_.

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**Keep on reviewing! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys, here's the next chapter! :)**

**Oh, and thank you so much for the reviews! They are very much appreciated! :)**

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Rachel Berry had always been a very confident girl. She had started competing in dance and singing competitions from the moment she learned how to walk. She now had practically all the Broadway classics memorized word for word, and could sing every song perfectly. The only thing Rachel hadn't done yet was actually being in a Broadway play. So, here she was in front on the Lima community theatre, ready to audition for the role of Maria in _West Side Story._

The theatre was full; everyone was in his or her own little areas trying to memorize their lines before the auditions began. Rachel was directed towards a line for the sign in sheet. The girl in front of her was reading through the lines for Anita when she noticed Rachel standing behind her.

"This is getting ridiculous," the girl said. "I've been standing here forever and the line hasn't budged. I'm losing my audition adrenaline."

Rachel shrugged, "The last audition I was at we waited in line for almost an hour. And I didn't even get the part. I was the stupid understudy."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Casting directors are stupid." The girl blew her chewing gun into one last bubble before spitting it out into a nearby trashcan. "What's your name?"

"Rachel. Rachel Berry," Rachel held out her hand for the girl to shake. "And yours?"

"Santana Lopez," the girl introduced herself. The line in front of Santana moved up a bit, finally. Santana let out an aggravated sigh, "That's all the further you're moving?"

"So what made you want to audition for this play?" Rachel asked. "I've known this entire play forwards and backwards since I was younger. It's a dream of mine to play Maria on a real Broadway stage someday."

"My abuela loves this play," Santana said. "She's getting older so I thought it would be a nice present for her to come and see me in the show."

"That's wonderful, Santana," Rachel exclaimed. "I'm sure you'll get the part!"

The two girls waited in line for a while longer before they finally reached the sign in sheet. They were given an identification ticket and then told to head over to the waiting area while everyone else finished signing in. Rachel checked the time on her cell phone: 8:27PM. Auditions were supposed to start at 8 on the dot.

Santana glanced at the time as well, "Are we really that far behind? This is ridiculous!"

"Yeah, I had to leave my cousin's engagement party for this. I guess I could have stayed for a little while longer," Rachel said.

Santana eyed Rachel's glittery dress, "Is that why you're all dressed up?" She noticed a tag sticking up from the back of Rachel's dress. "You forgot to take off the tag." Santana reached up to rip the tag off for Rachel, only to have her hands slapped away.

"No!" Rachel's hands reached behind her to tuck the tag back into the back of her dress. "Do you have any idea how expensive this dress was? I'm leaving the tag on it so that I can return it tomorrow and claim that it didn't fit."

Santana raised her hands defensively, "Calm down, I was only trying to help. And good move on the dress thing, I did that last year with my heels for prom. All I had to do was put tape on the bottom so they wouldn't scuff and I was able to return them the next day. Saved me a load of cash."

_"Attention everyone!"_

"Finally," Santana whispered when she realized the auditions were beginning.

A man stood on the stage speaking into the microphone, "We will call you back stage for your audition in groups of five." He picked up a piece of paper and began reading off a list of names. "The first group will be McKenna Acres, Susan Aimes, Patricia Andrews, Melissa Barnes, and Rachel Berry."

_Rachel Berry._

Santana nudged Rachel with her elbow, "Rachel, that's you!" She forced Rachel to stand up and walk towards the backstage area. "Knock them dead, Rachel!"

The five of girls all walked back stage and entered another waiting room. They were told that they would each be called on and sent to another room to have the official audition. They were called on in alphabetical order, each audition lasting only a few minutes.

"Rachel Berry." Finally her name was called.

Rachel walked into a small room filled with three other men. One was adjusting a camera to make it focus on her, another was finishing his notes on the previous girl, and the last was leaning back in his chair as he examined Rachel. The man who had just been fixing the camera sat down and read the description of the next girl to audition.

"Rachel Berry, auditioning for Maria?" he said, looking up to make she he had the right girl. "Tell us, Rachel, what makes you a good fit for this role."

"Well, sir, Broadway has been a big part of my life ever since I was a young girl, and this was always one of my favorite plays. I've had the entire script memorized for years now, and it is a dream of mine to play Maria."

"Interesting," the man commented. He looked over at the other two, "Anything else before we begin?"

The man who had just been writing shook his head, while the critical man remained still.

"Alright, Rachel, it says here that you have chosen _Tonight_ as your audition piece," the cameraman said. "Show us what you've got."

Rachel cleared her throat, her years of vocal lessons finally paying off.

_Tonight, tonight_

_It all began tonight_

_I saw you and the world went away._

_Tonight, tonight_

_There's only you tonight_

_What you are, what you do, what you say_

_For here you are_

_And what was just-_

"All right. That's enough," the critical man said, cutting Rachel off mid verse. The three men frantically wrote down notes on their paper.

"Wha-" Rachel asked, clearly taken aback.

"We've heard enough," the critical man said. "You are free to go now. We will contact you soon with any further information."

Rachel, still in a complete state of confusion, slowly walked out of the room.

_That's it? _She thought. _Was I really that bad?_

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**Sorry about the absence of Finn is this chapter. I promise he will be in the next one! Keep up the reviewing! I love to know what you guys think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four! Hope you like it! :)**

**And glee is on tomorrow night! I am already crying just watching the previews, I can't believe Finn and Cory are really gone.**

**Okay, before I get too off track, here's the chapter!**

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Rachel entered the store where she had previously purchased her dress the next day to return it. She made sure the dress looked exactly like it did when she had bought it. Because she wore it for a while the dress had wrinkles all over it, and Rachel knew she would never be allowed to return it looking like that. She had spent nearly an hour last night steaming the dress to remove all the wrinkles. The steaming process had gone horribly wrong. First, it wouldn't turn on; leaving the technology challenged Rachel with no steamer and an extremely wrinkled dress. Second, she had to borrow the neighbor's steamer, which would have been fine if her neighbor wasn't the rudest woman alive. And to top the evening off, she had already been in a bad mood because of her audition. She had only been preparing for it her entire life. The worst part was, she didn't even know what she did wrong. In her mind, the song had gone wonderfully. The stupid critical man was the one with the problem.

When she was positive the dress had no wrinkles or creases she continued on to the register area. One register was currently open, being run by a younger girl. Only an older woman stood in line in front of Rachel, and she was just finishing up. The elderly woman placed her wallet back into her purse, grabbed her things, and left allowing Rachel to move forward in line.

"Hello, welcome, did you find everything all right?" the worker asked in a friendly voice. Rachel couldn't tell if the worker was being friendly because it was part of the job or because she was actually a friendly person. She hadn't exactly met any friendly people lately.

"Hello," Rachel smiled, placing the dress on the counter. "Actually, I bought this dress yesterday, and when I tried it on last night, it didn't fit me! Could I please return it? I have the receipt with right here with me."

"Yes, you may return it. Let me just see that receipt," the cashier said. She placed the receipt through a scanner and then checked to make sure the dress still contained the tags.

As the girl was making the return, Rachel's eyes traveled to the back section of the store where the dressing rooms were placed. It was where she had met Finn.

When Rachel was a little girl, her dad had always told her all about fate and destiny. He said that if things are meant to be they will happen on their own. He said that there was no need to force things to happen. Growing up, she kept that belief close to her heart. She believed that if she let fate chose her path, she wouldn't have to worry about making terrible decisions.

Rachel scanned her eyes around the store looking for a restroom to use before her trip back home. "Do you have a restroom?" Rachel asked once she had gathered all her belongings.

"Yes, they are right over there," the girl said, pointing behind Rachel. Rachel's eyes followed the girl's pointing direction and then located the restroom area behind she shoe section.

"Thank you very much," Rachel said, turning towards the restrooms.

"Have a nice day," the girl said.

Rachel entered the restrooms and pulled out her cell phone. She searched through her contacts for Santana's number that she had entered after auditions last night. When she found the desired number she pressed the call button and held the hone to her ear.

"Hello?" Santana's voice came through the phone sounding very scratchy.

"Hey, it's Rachel, from the auditions yesterday. Did I wake you?" Rachel asked, feeling very guilty. She checked the time. 11:00 AM, perhaps she could have waited a bit longer before making the call. Rachel woke up at 6 AM every morning, and sometimes forgot that other people enjoyed sleeping in.

"Hi Rachel. It's fine. I should probably get up soon anyways," Santana replied. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that I was able to return the dress. I got it back into perfect condition last night."

"Awesome!" Santana said. "Just stick with me and I'll give you all sorts of new ways to 'borrow' things for free."

The two girls continued to chat away on the phone, laughing and quickly becoming friends. Rachel couldn't have been happier that she met Santana. She never had many friends growing up, and was happy whenever someone new came along.

Outside of the restrooms in the main building, Finn entered the dress shop with his rental suit. He sighed in relief when he realized that he was the only one there and could make the return as fast as possible without having to wait in a long line. He glanced over to the backside of the store to where he and Rachel had met the day before. He wished he could somehow tell her that it was meant to be and that he did see her again.

"Hello, do you need help finding anything?" the girl at the cash register asked Finn.

"Uh, no, I just stopped by to return this suit that I rented out yesterday," Finn said, walking over to the register. He placed the suit on the table and pulled out his wallet so he could find his receipt.

The girl took the suit and placed it on a hanger to be hung on the wall once more. "May I see the receipt?"

Finn finally found the receipt at the bottom of his wallet and placed it in the girl's hand. He watched as she scanned the receipt and checked to make sure everything was okay.

"Okay, you're all set. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I'm f-" Finn's voice trailed off as his eyes spotted another dress hanging up behind the register area. He knew that dress. It was Rachel's dress. Finn pointed towards the dress, "Did someone return that dress today? A short brunette girl?"

"Yes, actually, she just did a second before you came in," the cashier informed him.

_A second ago. That meant she was still nearby._

"Thank you!" Finn said before he ran off towards the door.

"Wait! She's just in the restroom!" the cashier called, but Finn was already out the door.

Rachel exited the bathroom then, trying to place her cell phone in her purse. "Thank you," she said to the cashier, as she was getting ready to leave.

"Oh, hey, some guy was just in here looking for you. He noticed your dress on the wall," the cashier told Rachel. "He left before I got the chance to tell him where you were."

Rachel was confused. Who would be looking for her in a dress shop? _Finn._

Rachel ran outside and quickly looked around the crowded area. Finn was nowhere in sight. How hard could it be to find a 6'3" giant?

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Finn angrily got into his car. He missed her _again._ He pulled out of his parking spot and sped out of the lot and headed to the suburbs on the outside of Downtown Lima. He turned the radio volume up high than usual, trying to block out the sound of his own thoughts. He navigated himself through the many streets until he reached his desired destination. It was a smaller house with brown shutters and a brown front door. He had been coming to this house constantly ever since he was little. It was the house of his best friend, after all.

He got out of his car and walked up onto the front porch of the house. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. The sound of footsteps inside the house got louder and louder as someone approached the front door. The door swung open to reveal his best friend of 11 years, Santana Lopez.

"Hey, long time no see," Santana greeted, holding open the door for Finn to step in. "I texted you last night, why didn't you reply?"

Finn walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "I told you about the stupid engagement party I had to go to."

"Well, if you would have answered I could have told you all about my audition," Santana said, taking a seat next to him and then turning on the TV.

"Oh, that's right! Your _West Side Story_ audition! How was it?"

"I don't want to get over confident, but I'm pretty sure I got the part!" Santana said. "There were three judges there. One had some stupid camera and insisted on filming the entire audition, a second one who just sat there are wrote notes the entire time, and a third one who seemed kind of rude at first but turned out to be really cool. It turns out that he knew my abuela because he and my mom were friends when they were growing up! So, when I told him they reason why I was auditioning he was really excited! After I sang my audition piece we talked for a little bit more, and it was so exciting! I think I have a really good chance at getting the part!"

"That's great Santana," Finn said with less enthusiasm than Santana was hoping for. Santana turned the TV off and sat back on the couch, crossing her arms.

"All right. What's wrong? You're killing my mood."

"I met this girl," Finn began.

"Oh, no, not another girl, Finn. We just got over the whole Quinn fiasco!"

"It's not like that Santana," Finn groaned. He didn't even want to think about what had happened with Quinn. Santana had already spent enough time going over all the reason she could think of about how Quinn was a terrible match for him, and that was while they were still dating. Santana had always hated Quinn, but Finn never listened to her. She wouldn't shut up about her being right after he and Quinn had broken up. Finn looked at Santana and continued speaking, "I met her when I was renting my suit for the party last night. She was really cool and when I asked her out she said she had other plans, and then she said that when we met up again we'd make other arrangements. I asked her how she knew that we would see each other again, and she said that if things were meant to be we would."

"Chick sounds crazy," Santana commented.

"She's not crazy, Santana," Finn said. "My problem is that I have seen her twice since then, and every time I go to try and talk to her she's not there anymore. I keep missing her and I don't know what to do."

"She said that if things were meant to be then you guys would run into each other again?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, she said that."

"Well, maybe if you keep seeing her but you're not able to actually get to her, you two aren't actually meant to be," Santana suggested. "It could be a sign or something telling you to back off."

"Santana, that can't be right. I know that's not true. Whenever I see her it feels different from any other girl. You don't understand, Santana, I need to see her again."

"Do you know anything else about her?" Santana asked. "What she does in her free time? Where she might work? Anything that could give you a hint to where she might be or how you could find her?"

"Not really. Well, I do know who her cousin is. Laurie, my mom's co-worker. Maybe she could help me out."

"There you go. Why don't you go and talk to her? Maybe she could give you the girl's address or something," Santana said.

"No, I can't just show up at her house. She wants us to meet again by chance. I can't just say it was a coincidence that I randomly showed up on her doorstep one day. I need a plan."

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**Ooooo, so Santana knows both Finn and Rachel! Crazy! :) What do you think will happen next?**

**Keep on reviewing! :) :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter five!**

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Finn had formulated a plan. He wasn't quite sure if the plan would work, but at least he had a plan. Call Laurie and get Rachel's number, it was as simple as that. All he had to do was get him mom to give him Laurie's phone number. He found his mom in the kitchen of their house, chopping up onions for dinner. She turned around when she heard Finn enter the room, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hi, Finn," she said. "What's going on?" She had them walk out of the room so she could take a break from the onions. She grabbed a Kleenex on her way out and rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"Hey mom," he replied. "You know that engagement party we went to on Saturday? The one for Ronald and Laurie? Do you think that I could possibly have Laurie's phone number?" He waited for her response, hoping she would give him the number without any further questions.

No such luck. His mother gave him a confused look. "Why on earth would you want Laurie's phone number?"

"Because," he began, trying to figure out how he could explain the situation to his mother without making her have a million questions from him. "Because there was someone at the party, and I need to know how to reach them. I figured that Laurie could help me out."

"Who are you trying to find?" his mom asked. "Maybe I could help you out. I knew most of the people there."

He inwardly groaned. It was his own fault for having such a close relationship with him mother and always telling her everything. "It was the girl who sang that song on stage, Laurie's cousin Rachel," Finn said. He saw his mother raise an eyebrow. "We met on Friday and I can't get in touch with her. Can you please help me out?"

His mother smiled as she grabbed her phone. "The things I do for you." She scrolled through her contact list. "Okay, are you ready? It's 567-004-9874."

Finn quickly added the number to his contact list. "Thanks mom, you're the best." He then ran off toward his bedroom so he could make a very important phone call.

* * *

Santana sat down on Rachel's bed and smiled up at Rachel. They were quickly becoming friends, and both were thrilled. They decided to spend some time together just hanging out, while they weren't stuck in an overcrowded theatre with all of their competitors.

Santana was in the middle of giving Rachel the story of how amazing her audition was. "So, I walked into the audition room and saw the three judges. The first two were pretty nice, and the other one seemed pretty mean."

"I know!" Rachel cut in. "The first two judges were super nice, but the third one was a total jerk to me the entire time."

"The entire time?" Santana questioned. "During my audition, he turned out to be my favorite. By the end of it, we figured out that he knows my family very well! I think I have a good shot at making it!"

"He actually talked to you?" Rachel asked. "He never even said one word to me, until he cut me off in the middle of my audition and told me that he had heard enough. It was the audition I have been preparing for my whole life, and I totally blew it."

"Come on, Rachel, you didn't blow it. I'm sure you did great," Santana attempted to calm Rachel down.

"No I didn't! The judges made it pretty clear that they don't want me when they totally cut off my performance half way through and ask me to leave the room. Let's face it, Santana, I'm not Broadway material."

"Rachel, one bad audition doesn't mean anything. It's their fault if they don't realize how great you are. You are going to make it in the Broadway business, I know it. Don't let these stupid men get you down. Okay?"

"Do you really mean that?" Rachel asked. "Do you really think that I can make it onto Broadway?"

"Of course," Santana promised. She stood up from the bed, "Come on, let's go and do something fun to get your mind off of this musical."

* * *

Finn dialed Laurie's number into his phone. He held the phone to his ear, and listened to it ring. The phone rang six times before he heard noise on the other end of the line and eventually a "hello" came through the phone.

"Hi, Laurie?" he began. "It's Finn, Carole's daughter."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Finn! What a surprise! How are you?"

"I'm great. Thanks for asking," Finn responded. He took a deep breath; he had always hated talking on the phone. "I guess you're wondering why I am calling, right?"

"You could say that!" Laurie's laugh came through the phone. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, I was actually calling about your cousin, Rachel," Finn said. "I met her on Friday, and didn't get her number, and I was wondering if you might have any idea of where I might be able to find her. Do you know of any places she likes to spend time at or anything like that?"

"Finn, all I can really tell you is that she loves musicals. I know she recently had an audition, for some play, but other than that I can't really help you. I don't see Rachel often enough to know where she would be spending her free time, sorry."

"No, that's okay," Finn said in a disappointed voice. "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime, Finn. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Finn hung up the phone and threw it on his bed. He needed a lead. He just needed to know one thing about her that would help him out. But until he figured that out, it was back to square one.

* * *

Santana and Rachel finished up the ice cream cones that they had just purchased. Santana had brought Rachel out to an ice cream parlor in attempt to distract Rachel from her audition for _West Side Story._ She was worried that the plan had failed at first because of the frown that was plastered across Rachel's face, but when two little twin boys came inside and started playing with their toys while their parents ordered the ice cream, Rachel began to forget about the audition. After that, Santana was able to get a conversation going with Rachel to keep her mind distracted.

The two girls exited the ice cream parlor, and got into Santana's car. They happily sang along to the radio together, and Santana was pretty sure she might have gotten Rachel to completely forget about _West Side Story. _Well, that was the case until they drove past a huge billboard advertising the musical. Santana dared a glance over at Rachel, who bowed her head in disappointment for a moment before recomposing herself.

Rachel took a few deep breaths and cleared her mind once again. She refused to let this one stupid audition get to her. Santana was right; everyone got rejected at some point. She was determined to make it big on Broadway, and she was going to make sure she did. Other auditions would come along for Rachel, and until then she just had to be happy for Santana. She was happy for Santana, and she would support her the whole way through.

They arrived back at Rachel's house and walked inside the house. Rachel suggested that they go and watch a movie, but Santana's phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Santana answered the phone cautiously because the caller ID came up as unknown.

"Hello, is a Santana Lopez there?" a man asked her.

"She's speaking," Santana said. "Who is this?" She shrugged her shoulders at Rachel, who was giving her a questioning look.

"This is Brad Dunkin, from the _West Side Story _production. I'm calling to inform you that you have qualified for callbacks. You'' receive a letter in the mail with further instructions. Congratulations."

"Really?" Santana asked excitedly. "Thank you so much for the call!"

"Yep, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon!" the man said. "Goodbye."

"Bye," Santana said before ending the call.

"Who was that?" Rachel asked as she watched Santana slip her cell phone into her back pocket.

"I got the callback!" Santana exclaimed.

"Really? Congratulations! You deserve it!" Rachel replied, honestly happy for Santana.

"Thanks Rachel! Listen, I have to go and tell my parents and grandma, they are going to be so excited. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay," Rachel said and walked Santana to the door. "Tell me how they react to the news. I want to hear all about it!"

"I'll call you tonight," Santana promised, walking out to her car.

Rachel shut the door behind her and rested her head back against it. She took several deep breaths. She was _not _going to let this get to her.

* * *

Finn rushed upstairs to his bedroom when he heard his phone ringing. He picked it up and read the caller ID: Santana. He answered the phone and placed it against his ear. "Hey, Santana, what's up?"

"I got the callback!" Santana practically screamed into his ear. "They just called me a few minutes ago with the news!"

"Really, that's great, Santana!" Finn replied. "Do you know when you have to go back in?"

"They said that they would email me with more information," Santana explained. "When I told my abuela she practically fainted! You should have seen it!"

"I'm sure it was a sight to see," he said

"Finn, we need to celebrate. You should come over. Are you doing anything right now?"

"I'll be there in 10."

* * *

Finn arrived to Santana's house soon after their phone call, and when Santana opened the front door he pulled her in for a huge congratulatory hug.

"Congratulations, Santana! I knew you would get the part!"

"Thanks! I am so excited about this! Just think about it, I'm going to be one of those people who gets to sing on a stage in front of an audience! They'll be giving me a standing ovation! I can't even wrap my mind around it!"

"You'll do great up there," Finn said. "You'll knock them dead!"

Santana laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "Oh, Finn, when my dad heard the news, he went out and bought a huge cake for us. There is some in the kitchen if you want some."

"Do I want some," Finn laughed, knowing that she already knew what his answer would be.

Santana moved to follow him into the kitchen, but her phone began to ring. "Just a minute, Finn. Let me answer this and I'll be right there." She clicked the answer button. "Hello?"

"Santana? It's Rachel."

Santana could hear some tears through the phone. "Rachel? Are you okay? I told you not to let this get to you. You'll be on Broadway!"

"No, Santana, I'm not crying because of that. I just got a call. I got the callback."

"Rachel! That's amazing! Congratulations! I knew you would get it!"

"Thanks Santana, for everything. You're a great friend."

"It's no problem, Rachel," Santana replied. "I have to go, I have some company over right now. I'll call you later."

"Okay, talk to you soon."

Santana hung up the phone and then walk back into the kitchen.

"Who was on the phone?" Finn asked through a mouth full of cake.

"A girl from auditions," Santana said, grabbing herself a slice of cake. They sat down at the table to eat their dessert.

"So, Santana, I need some more advice about Rachel," Finn began.

"Rachel? Who's Rachel," Santana asked.

"The girl I told you about. Rachel Berry," Finn clarified.

Santana's jaw dropped. His mystery girl was Rachel? She smiled to herself. She had some scheming to do.

* * *

**Sorry for any mistankes I typed this in a hurry! :(**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is chapter six! Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Rachel and Santana had received the calls for their call backs. Santana had breezed through call backs for Anita, and got the call that she got the part a few days ago. Rachel's call back had gone the same as it did the first time. The first two judges had absolutely lived her performance, but the third critical judge had cut her off and asked her to leave.

What was his problem anyways? He had treated Rachel and her audition like dirt, but given her the callback anyways. What was she doing wrong? He just adored Santana, what was so terrible about Rachel?

Nevertheless, Rachel was confident, and knew she was destined for great things. No matter what that stupid critical judge said.

* * *

Santana sat in the driver's seat of her car on her way to work. She worked as a waitress at a small restaurant on the other side of town. Santana hate her job. Dealing with customers all day and their petty complaints wasn't exactly her calling.

Santana may have hated her job, but she loved the travel time. Santana had a rather large family, so her amount of alone time was very limited. The 20 minutes that it took her to get to work was the only time she really had to herself, and she cherished every second of it. The driving time gave her a chance to really think about things. Today, thoughts of Finn's mystery girl confession filled her mind. She never would have guessed that his dress shop girl was Rachel. She also never would have guessed that Rachel was one for believing in fate so much. Rachel seemed like such a _control-freak. _But, who wouldn't be upset when their dreams seemed to be falling apart?

Santana liked Rachel, and thought she would be a perfect fit for Finn. Unlike his last girlfriend, Quinn. Quinn was always bossing Finn around, and treating him like dirt. Santana constantly told him that he should break up with her, but he never listened to her and continued to let Quinn treat him the way she did. The only reason they broke up after their yearlong relationship was because Finn found out Quinn was cheating on him for seven of the twelve months. Santana had to deal with Finn moping around for weeks before he finally got over Quinn. She kept trying to set him up with different girls, but he always declined them, stating that he was interested. He one short "fling" with another girl last summer, but that was the only girl he showed any interest in since the Quinn incident. So, Santana was happy for Finn and Rachel. The problem was that she needed to find a way for them to meet.

The easiest solution was to simply introduce them and let them reconnect on their own, but she couldn't under the circumstances. Rachel wanted them to meet by chance, so she would know that it was meant to be. Santana couldn't just casually bring them together. It had to happen on its own, or seem like it did at least. Santana also couldn't let Finn know that she knew Rachel either. She knew he would bug her constantly to try to find out more about Rachel.

Santana pulled into the parking lot at work and parked her car in the usual spot. She needed a plan for Finn and Rachel, and she needed one soon.

* * *

Rachel poured her freshly popped popcorn into a bowl and headed to the living room to have herself a movie day. She had thrown on some sweatpants and a T-shirt to relax in, and brought all of her favorite musicals down to the living room to enjoy. Her father was out for the day and Santana had to work, so Rachel had no plans for the day. She loved movie days, even though she constantly wished she had someone to watch the movies with her.

The first movie on her list was her absolute favorite: _Funny Girl_. She always loved Barbara Streisand and anything she stared in. She even enjoyed movies like _Meet the Fockers _from time to time.

Just as Rachel was about to start her movie marathon, the phone began to ring. She got out of the blanket cocoon she made for herself on the couch and went to answer the phone. She checked the caller ID: _Unknown_. She picked up the phone and said "Hello?"

"Hello, is a Rachel Berry there?"

"Speaking," Rachel replied. "May I ask who is calling?"

"This is Paul Erickson, from auditions and call backs," the man replied.

Rachel thought back for a moment. _Paul Erickson? _The name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite remember who he was. Maybe he was playing one of the Jets? Possibly one of the Sharks? Just then the name clicked, he was the judge with the camera! "Hello, Paul!" Rachel said. "May I help you with something?"

"Yes, if its okay, would you mind coming down to the theatre one more time? We would like to talk to you about something."

Rachel paused, what would they need to talk to her about? Santana didn't need to go to the theatre again. She received a phone call to tell her the news, end of story. "Sure," Rachel responded. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"We can talk more when you get here. Is three o'clock okay?" Paul asked.

"Sure, three sounds good. I'll see you then," Rachel said. "Goodbye." She hung up the phone. She wasn't sure whether to be confused or worried. What could they possibly have to talk to her about? She didn't do anything wrong that would keep her from being able to play the part. And as far as she knew, being given a part didn't require being face to face. Rachel decided to let it go for the time being and just focus on her movies until she had to leave for her meeting in a few hours.

* * *

Santana was about to start waiting on her fifth customer of the day. Already she had a family of six (torturous, most of the kids were under the age of six), an elderly couple (not to bad, could have been much worse), a middle-aged couple (the woman accidentally spilled her tea all over her meal and demanded more food, she could have been a bit more polite), and a young woman who only gave her one dollar as a tip. One could say that Santana was hoping for someone easy to take care of.

She rounded the corner to the table, and sighed in relief when she saw Finn smiling back at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly, walking up to his table.

"I was bored at home so I decided to come and visit you," Finn replied. "How's work today?"

"The usual," Santana sighed. "What do you want to drink?"

"The usual," Finn mimicked his friend, making her smile. "And the same to eat too."

"Coming right up!" Santana said before heading back towards the kitchen. She poured him a cold glass of root beer and put his order in for the chef. She then headed back to his table and placed his drink on the table. "So, Finn, any news on this Rachel girl?"

"Nothing new," Finn said dejectedly. "I have no idea how to even begin looking for her. Her cousin was no help and I walk by the dress shop everyday, but she's never there. I'm out of ideas."

"You said her name is Berry right?" Santana asked, pretending to be curious about his mystery girl.

"Yeah, Rachel Berry," Finn confirmed.

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Santana said. "Don't worry, we will find her."

"Thanks Santana," Finn said. He glanced around the restaurant, "Now stop being such a terrible waitress and go check on your other customers!"

Santana laughed and shook her head as she walked away. "Watch it mister, or I'll slip something in your food!"

* * *

Rachel arrived at the theatre at three o'clock on the dot. She nervously entered and looked around for any sign of Paul. When she couldn't find him, she took a seat off to the side of the room and waited for him to arrive.

She was able to watch two whole movies at home before she had to get ready to leave, and she wasn't able to watch one of them since her mind was too busy thinking of what might happen with Paul.

It wasn't much longer of a wait before the doors to the theatre opened and a man walked in. Rachel stood up and back to walk forward, but stopped when she realized that it was not Paul that had just entered the theatre. She recognized him immediately. It was the critical man from auditions, Victor Blackstone.

Rachel hoped that maybe Victor wouldn't see her and she could continue to wait on Paul in peace. Unfortunately, Victor noticed Rachel right away and walked over to her.

"Hello, Miss Berry," Victor said politely.

"Hello," Rachel replied shyly. "I'm waiting here for Paul."

"I know," Victor said. "I was the one that asked Paul to get you to come here."

"What?" Rachel asked in confusion.

"Come along, Rachel, let's take a walk," Victor said to Rachel. He waited for Rachel to come closer to him before he began to walk through the halls of the theatre. "I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come here, right?"

"Yeah," Rachel replied. "I'm definitely a little confused."

"Rachel, I've been in this business for 15 years now. I've seen many talented kids come and go. Some made it far, even as far as Broadway, and some ventured off into other areas. Rachel, I have to admit, you are one of the best young performers I've ever seen."

Rachel had to take a second to make sure she was hearing him correctly.

"I thought it would be nice to tell you in person that you got the part," he said next.

Rachel's eyes widened, "I- I got the part?"

"Yes, congratulations," Victor said. "You deserve it. You'll make it far someday."

"But during my performances you never let me finish. I thought I did something wrong," Rachel said, wondering why he had been so rude to her before.

"Rachel from the moment you first walked into that auditioning room I knew you were the Maria for us. I stopped you because we didn't need to anymore. After your audition, all three of us judges knew it was going to be you. Rachel, you have so much potential, and I look forward to working with you on this production."

"Thank you so much, Victor," Rachel said, a huge smile on her face.

"No, Rachel, thank you."

Rachel wanted to jump for joy. This was a start. A start to achieving her goals, and living her dream come true.

* * *

**Review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

_One Month later… _

Seven days. That's how long they had before opening night of the musical. The entire cast and crew had worked endlessly to make the production the best that it could possibly be. Victor, who was also the director, had them practice at least one scene a day for he entire month until all the scenes were perfect.

Rachel never worked harder on a thing before in her entire life. Neither had Santana. They were both exhausted after every rehearsal. Whenever they decided to hang out after practice, they usually spent the first hour or so after practice lounging on the couch watching TV.

Lounging and watching TV was actually the activity that Santana and Rachel were doing at that moment. They were at Santana's house and Santana now held the remote as she flipped through the endless channels, groaning when she realized that nothing semi-decent was on.

"Alright. Enough of this. We need to go out and do something entertaining. Got any ideas?" Santana stood up from the couch and began pacing around the room.

"I will do anything that doesn't involve me killing my legs any more than I already have," Rachel replied. She groaned as she tried to pull herself up from the couch. "I never thought that it would be this hard, but you know what? I kind of like it. I'm finally getting a taste of what real Broadway is like."

Santana glanced at Rachel, thinking about the throbbing pain in her thighs. "You're crazy, girl."

"I'm not crazy, Santana. I'm motivated and determined. Things are finally working out for me."

Santana took a seat again. "Okay, while you stay there and cheer about your sore legs, I'll be over here thinking of something fun to do."

"Oh come on Santana, you know you love me!" Rachel took a seat next to Santana.

"Yeah, sure," Santana said, "That's it."

Rachel rolled her eyes and started to think of any fun activities for them to do. Going to watch a movie could be an option, it required no fast movements or anything. The only problem was, no good movies were at the movie theatres, so a movie was not an option.

Santana's cell phone began to ring and he excused herself to go and answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Santana, it's Finn. What's up?"

"Finn, I can't talk now. I have a friend over." She tapped her fingers on the kitchen counter as she waited for his response.

"A friend?" Finn pretended to sound hurt. "Am I being replaced? I thought I was your best friend. You know, your one and only? The one you could never live without?"

"Shut up, Finn," Santana laughed. "But, seriously, I can't talk now. Can I call you back in a bit?" She hoped that Finn wouldn't start to question who she was with; she could not let him know she was with Rachel.

"I have to work later. I'll be quick, I swear."

Santana sighed and glanced in the living room to make sure Rachel was doing okay. Rachel was sitting on the couch, looking a bit bored, making Santana feel bad and want to end the call quickly. "Okay, Finn, what is it?"

"I was wondering where I could buy my ticket for your play," he said. "Can I preorder them or is it a buy at the door type of thing? I need to get one before your awesome acting skills makes it sell out."

"Well, actually everyone on the cast was given a few free tickets to the play, and since my dad can't make it for opening night, I was panning on giving you the extra ticket!" Santana's father couldn't get out of work that evening, he was a doctor and had already scheduled a surgery for that day a few months ago. He promised that he would be there for the second show, though.

"Seriously? Wow, thanks Santana, you didn't have to do that," Finn replied.

"It's really not a problem," Santana said. And besides, she needed him to be sitting front row so he could have a good view of Rachel during the performance! Santana smiled to herself. Rachel and Finn were in for a big surprise! "Okay, I've got to go. I'm sure I will see you soon."

"Bye," Finn responded, and hung up the phone.

Santana walked back into the living room and sat down next to Rachel again on the couch. "Did you think of any activities?" Santana asked her.

Rachel shook her head, "No not really."

The front door to Santana's house opened up and the girls heard some commotion coming from the foyer. Santana already knew who it was by the sound of load footsteps. Her grandmother had never been a very quiet person. She recalled that she told Rachel about her grandmother during the auditions, and figured that Rachel would probably want to meet her. And Santana knew that her grandmother was dying to meet the girl that she was in the play with. Besides Finn, Rachel was Santana's only really good friend, and her entire family couldn't wait to meet her.

"You know how I said that my abuela was the only reason why I am doing _West Side Story?" _Santana asked Rachel.

"Yeah, I remember, why?" Rachel asked.

"Do you want to meet her?" Santana asked, gesturing towards the foyer. "I know she really wants to meet you."

"She's here? Yes. Of course I'd like to meet her!" Rachel replied, excited to meet Santana's inspiration for the musical.

They both stood up from the couch and headed into the foyer, where n older woman stood, digging through her purse. She looked up from her purse and noticed them standing in front of her. "Oh, hello," she began. "Santana, who is this?"

"Abuela este es mi amiga Rachel," Santana said to her grandmother. "Rachel, meet my grandma."

Rachel stepped forward quickly and held out her hand, "It is so nice to meet you, I have heard so many wonderful things about you. You have a wonderful granddaughter." Rachel smiled at Santana when she said her last comment.

"Rachel, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. It's so nice to finally Santana's friend from the musical." Santana's grandmother said, shaking Rachel's hand in return.

"I'm sure you're very excited to see the play Friday night," Rachel said. "I hear that you're a big _West Side Story _fan, am I right?"

"Yes, I have always loved the story. It reminds me of how I met Santana's grandfather. His family and my family never saw eye to eye, but he and I connected from the very start. We stayed together in secret for the longest while, before we finally told our families about the affair. It was rough at first, but eventually everyone came together and it all worked out in the end," Santana's grandmother said, smiling as she became lost in her own thoughts of her deceased husband.

"Abuela, nunca me contó esa historia," Santana said in Spanish, and then switching back to English, "Why didn't you ever tell us that story? It's so sweet."

"It was a long time ago, and we liked to focus on the present and future instead of what used to be," her grandma replied. She turned to Rachel then, "Now that I've made you listen to my boring old stories, I'll leave you two to what you were doing."

"No, no, I loved the story. Like Santana said, it's sweet," I assured her. "It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Rachel," she said. "I hope I'll be seeing you again very soon. Santana, you should invite both Rachel and F-"

"Abuela, don't you have something to do in the kitchen?" Santana cut her grandmother off, giving her a warning glare, hoping that she would get the hint.

Her grandmother had no idea what Santana meant, but took the hint anyways, "Okay, I'll go, I know when I'm not wanted. I'll see you girls later." She walked off towards the kitchen, as confused as ever.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked Santana.

"Nothing. She just has some chores to do in the kitchen and I didn't want her to forget to do them, that's all," Santana lied. "Come on, let's go and see if there is anything good on TV now." Santana pulled Rachel by the arm into the living room, desperately trying to avoid any talk of Finn. Rachel was suspicious now, and if Santana had learnt anything about Rachel, it was that when Rachel wanted something she wanted it _bad._

* * *

**Sorry that one was a bit shorter, it's kind of a filler chapter. The next one will be a lot longer! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Let's get our Finchel on! ;) **

**Here's the next chapter!**

**(I think you guys are really going to like it!)**

* * *

Finn walked into the theatre on Friday night and immediately searched the lobby for Santana. The room was packed from corner to corner. Parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, anyone who wanted to support someone in the _West Side Story _cast was here.

_Santana better be happy_, Finn thought. He had actually put in the effort to dress up for the event. He wore a nice shirt along with khaki pants. He put on cologne before he left the house too, which he rarely did. He had always been more of a casual guy, and never liked to dress up. He only did when he had to, and tonight seemed like a night for dressing up. He wasn't sure why exactly, but he felt like he needed to look presentable tonight. He had a feeling that something good was going to happen.

Finally, he saw Santana come into view. She was wearing her Anita costume already, and her hair was styled for her character as well. Santana walked up to him and smiled, clapping her hands as she looked at his outfit.

"Wow, I am impressed. You look nice Finn," Santana said, especially happy that he was dressed up to see one Rachel Berry. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back. The plan was coming together quite nicely.

"Thanks," Finn replied. "And your costume looks awesome."

"Why thank you," Santana twirled around to give him the full effect. "Oh, and here is your ticket." She handed him the front row ticket that was originally for her father. "Your seat is right next to my grandma's. Good luck."

"Thanks," Finn responded, already knowing that her grandma was going to gush about how she hasn't seen him in forever. "Good luck to you too. You're going to do great out there."

"I hope so," Santana said. "I think everyone knows their parts very well and are ready for this. I'm pretty sure it will be very good."

"I'm sure it will be," Finn replied.

"All right, I should probably go and finish getting ready. I'll see you afterwards, okay?" Santana asked. She tuned around and headed back towards the dressing room area.

Finn watched Santana as she walked away, and he was about to head towards the seating area, but a PA system announcement caught his attention.

_"Rachel Berry to wardrobe. Rachel Berry to wardrobe. Thank you."_

Finn paused. _Rachel Berry?_ Rachel Berry was in the play? His eyes found Santana again, who was now on the other side of the room. She turned around and winked at him before continuing on to her dressing room. His jaw dropped, Santana knew who Rachel was all along? Finn had never loved his best friend more than he did at that moment. Thanks to Santana he was seeing Rachel again. Tonight.

* * *

"Hey!" Santana said as she sat next to Rachel on a couch that was placed back stage. "Are you ready for this?"

"Santana," Rachel began, "I was born ready."

Santana laughed, "Good. I think something really good is going to happen tonight. I can feel it." Santana could barely contain her excitement for Rachel and Finn. Tonight was the night!

"You seem very excited," Rachel commented. "Are you excited for your grandma to see the show? I bet she is."

"Yeah, that's it," Santana played along. "She hasn't stopped talking about it all week-long. She hasn't stopped talking about you either, come to think of it. She always gets overly excited when I introduce her to a new friend."

"That's nice. I really like your grandma. She's so sweet. I'm excited to ask her how she liked the performance after the show."

"I'm sure she'll hunt you down afterwards, so you'll have a chance to ask her," Santana said, knowing her grandma all too well. "You have no idea how much she adores you."

"Aww, I'm honored," Rachel said. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, "We should probably finish getting ready. I'll see you out there!" She stood up from the couch and headed back to her dressing room.

* * *

Finn navigated his way through the darkened theatre and found his seat. He sat down right next to Santana's grandma and gave her a big smile.

"Finn!" She exclaimed and pulled him in for a hug. "I haven't seen you in ages! Where on earth have you been? We've missed you!"

"Well, with my work and Santana's part in the musical, it's been hard for us to see each other lately. I'm sure we will be seeing each other again very soon since the musical will be done with soon."

"Great!" Santana's grandma said. "I told Santana that we need to have you and another one of her friends over some day. She met this one girl through the musical, and she is the sweetest girl I've ever met. What was her name again? Riley? No… Rachel! It was Rachel. Do you know her?"

Finn was confused. He was under the impression that Santana and Rachel were just cast mates. They were friends? "How long have they been friends?"

"If I remember correctly, Santana said that they met during auditions. That was what? A little over a month ago?"

Finn's eyes widened as it all came together. Auditions. That was the audition Rachel had to go to after Laurie and Ronald's engagement party. He made a note to himself to congratulate Santana for being able to hold in her secret for that long. Santana wasn't one for keeping things to herself.

The lights along the walls that were dimmed down from their normal lighting finally turned all the way off, signaling the start of the musical. Finn and Santana's grandma faced forward in their seats and got ready to watch the show.

They both watched the entire show in silence. Finn smiled through the darkness whenever Santana was on stage. He saw her grandmother tearing up during some of Santana's solos. He was very happy for Santana. She never really finished projects that she started, and he was a bit worried when she first told him that she was planning on auditioning for the play. But now that she had a real reason to stay focused, her grandmother being the reason, she was able to finish what she started and stay fully committed to the musical.

Even though Finn was originally there just to see Santana, Rachel also wowed him. He had never seen anyone more talented than her. His jaw dropped after all of her solos, and her acting skills blew him away. She was incredible, and he couldn't wait to know more about her.

* * *

Rachel walked out on stage with Oliver (Tony) for her final performance, _One Hand, One Heart_. As they began the scene, intending to bring her eyes back to Oliver, but something caught her eyes. She could only look for a second because she had a scene to do, but she could have sworn she saw someone she knew sitting in the front row. She could have sworn she saw _Finn Hudson._

She cleared her mind of all distractions quickly and continued on with the musical. Impossible. She hadn't seen Finn since that day in the dress shop. It had been over a month, so naturally she had given up on hoping that fate would bring them together again.

Her eyes kept wandering back to the mystery boy again and again throughout the entire scene. He seemed to be looking right back at her. She had to repeatedly pull herself back to reality. _You're being silly, Rachel. Focus on the song. Only on the song,_ she thought to herself over and over.

The song finished up, and the entire audience jumped to their feet to applaud. The cast and crew walked out onto the stage and bowed together. Santana got Finn's attention by waving to him, and she pointed to Rachel, giving Finn the signal that he better go and talk to her afterwards.

* * *

Rachel wandered around the theatre lobby after the show. She was looking for the man she noticed during the final performance. She was still a strong believer in fate, and she knew that if things were meant to be, she would find him.

She had to stop a few times during her search to receive a few "Congratulations" and "Good job!".

Rachel took one final glance at her surroundings before giving up on her search. She turned around and accidentally walked right into another person.

"Oh, I am so s-" her voice trailed off as she registered who she was looking at. "Finn?"

"Rachel," he breathed, sounding more relieved than anything.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked. "I thought I saw you in the audience, but I didn't think that it was possible. Why are you here?"

"Rachel, I never thought I'd see you again," Finn said, not answering her question. "I've spent so much time looking for you."

"Really?" Rachel asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe that someone would go to the trouble of trying to find her.

"Yes, really," he said. "I'm here because Santana gave me her extra front row ticket."

"Santana?" Rachel asked. "How do you know Santana?" Rachel looked around the room again and saw Santana this time, standing in the back corner watching them with a smile on her face.

"Santana's been my best friend since kindergarten," he explained. They stood in silence for a moment, smiling at each other. Neither knew what was supposed to happen next. "You know," Finn started, "I think you said something about making plans the next time we saw each other."

"I might have said something like that," Rachel smiled at him. "I'll call you tomorrow. I get your number from Santana."

"Okay," Finn replied. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then." He started to walk away from her, but he heard her call his name. He turned around to see what she wanted, and was very surprised when instead of saying something to him, she stepped forward and placed her lips on his. He would have deepened the kiss if she hadn't pulled away a second later.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," Rachel said. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

Finn smiled widely. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Rachel waved goodbye before disappearing into the crowd to go and find her family.

Finn sighed contently before turning around and walking over to Santana. "You lying little cheat," he accused her. "You knew who she was the whole time!"

Santana held up her hands in defense. "Hey! It was supposed to be a surprise. Rachel wanted you guys to meet by chance, and you did. You guys just had a little push at the end. Can't you just thank me and move on?"

Finn nodded, "I know. Thank you, Santana. Seriously. Without you Rachel would have just been the girl I met at the dress shop one day. I owe you one."

"No, it's cool. I'm glad that you two are happy."

Finn smiled at her. It was official. He had the most incredible best friend in the entire world.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait! School' s been kind of crazy lately!**

**Anyways, here's chapter 9! Enjoy!**

* * *

Rachel walked towards the small coffee shop in downtown Lima. She fanned herself with her hand, the August heat finally getting to her. She was surprised it was so hot already, because it was only Sunday morning. She reflected on the events that happened over the summer, which was probably one of the best summer she's ever had. She used to be one of the most disliked people in Lima, Ohio. She convinced herself that they only disliked her because of all the talent dripping from her fingertips, but she knew the real reason. However, the past completely forgotten, she now had a best friend. Santana Lopez. She also had Finn in her life, and she couldn't be happier. Though she barely knew Finn, she knew they had something special between the two of them.

Rachel entered the coffee shop and looked around for Finn. They finally made plans for that coffee date they had talked about in the dress shop. Her eyes finally landed on him, sitting in a booth near the back of the small building. She hurried in his direction and sat opposite of him, smiling as she sat down.

"Good morning, Finn," Rachel greeted, eying the two muffins that sat in the middle of the table.

"Good morning, Rachel. I hope you don't mind but I went ahead and got you a muffin," Finn said, pushing one of the pastries towards her.

"No, not at all. Thank you," Rachel said, accepting the muffin and taking a bite out of the side. "Very nice muffin selection," Rachel commented after she swallowed her bite. They finished their treats in silence, and it was Rachel who broke the silence afterwards. "You know, Santana won't shut up about us. She called me yesterday to tell me how hard it was for her to keep the whole thing a secret."

"Yeah, I know. I saw her Friday night. I'm surprised she was able to keep her mouth shut all this time. She's never been the best at keeping secrets."

"I'm a little shocked she never mentioned it to me before then. I never told her about you, so she could have easily messed up and asked me about you," Rachel replied.

Finn pretended to look hurt. "You never mentioned me to her? I thought I meant a little more to you than that."

"Well, when I didn't see you again after we met, I thought it was a sign that we weren't meant to find each other again. I tried to avoid thinking about you as much as I could, and I figured that if I told Santana she would constantly bring it up."

"I can't believe we never saw each other again after that. I couldn't stop finding you again, but every time I almost got to you, you were gone."

"Well, I knew that you were at the dress shop, because the cashier girl told me that some man was looking for me while I was in the restrooms."

"That's where you were? When I found out that you had just been there, I ran outside and searched the whole street inside and out."

"It's kind of funny how things work out, right?" Rachel asked him. "We kept missing each other, and now here we are. Together. Summer is almost over, and I didn't get to spend any of it with you."

"We still have this month," Finn said, attempting to lighten her mood.

Rachel smiled, "Yeah, and I am looking forward to every single second of it."

Fin reached across the table and grabbed both of her hands. "Rachel, I promise that this is going to be the best August that you've ever had."

* * *

"All right, just keep you eye on the pins," Finn instructed from behind Rachel.

Rachel nodded and took a deep breath. She pulled the arm that was holding the bowling ball back, and swung it forward launching the bowling ball straight into the gutter.

Finn held in his laughter as Rachel stomped back to where he was sitting, crossing her arms when she reached her destination.

"This is all your fault!" Rachel pointed an accusing finger at him. "I told you that I can't bowl, but you forced me to come! I'm blaming you."

"Oh, come on, Rachel. You're not _that_ bad."

Rachel raised an eyebrow and then marched to the ball return. She grabbed her pink bowling ball and threw it down the lane straight into the gutter once again. "See? I can't do it."

Finn stood up from his seat and walked up to where Rachel was standing. He picked up her pink bowling ball that had just returned to their lane and place it in her hands.

"But it's not my turn anymore," Rachel protested.

"You can take my turn," Finn insisted. He turned Rachel around so that she was facing the lane. He placed one hand on her arm and pulled it back for her. "Just keep your eyes on the pins, okay?"

Rachel nodded, but her eyes were glued to his hand on her arm.

Finn caught Rachel's actions and smirked. "Rachel, do you want another gutter ball?"

Rachel, embarrassed that she had been caught staring at him, locked her eyes onto the pins ahead of her. "Now what?"

"Keep staring ahead and follow through. If you concentrate hard enough the ball will follow your line of vision."

Rachel nodded as Finn stepped back ready to watch Rachel roll the ball. Rachel took in another deep breath. She launched her arm forwards and watched as the ball rolled down the middle of the lane. She stood on her toes in anticipation as it rolled closer and closer to the end of the lane. The ball rolled the remainder of the way down the lane and collided with the pins, knocking them all down one by one. Rachel jumped for joy and wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, planting a huge kiss on his lips.

"Thank you!" She squealed. "I take back everything I said before. I love bowling!"

Finn chuckled, "I'm sure you do."

* * *

"No. Absolutely not." Rachel folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not ready."

"Oh, come on, Rach," Finn pleaded. "She'll love you. I swear."

"No."

It was two weeks into their August together. Santana had invited them over to a bonfire at her house to celebrate the three of them finally coming together. Finn and Rachel had spent the entire day together at the lake just outside of Lima when they got the invitation via text message. Rachel brought a spear change of clothes with her to the lake, but Finn had not so they had to stop by his house before heading over to Santana's house. Rachel was fine with this, until she realized that Finn's mother was home and she would have to meet her.

"Why don't you want to meet her? There's no reason to be nervous, I know she'll love you. I know that she has been dying to meet you," Finn begged.

"I don't want to m-" Rachel began to say until Finn's words registered in her mind. "She's been dying to meet me?"

"I may have mentioned something to her about you," Finn said, looking down at the ground.

Rachel exhaled slowly, "Okay. I'll meet her. If it means this much to you."

Finn smiled, "Thank you Rachel. You're the best." He exited his side of the car and walked around to Rachel's side, opening her door for her. He held out a hand to help her out of the car.

"How chivalrous," Rachel commented, stepping out of the car. She saw the confused look Finn had on his face. "It means considerate or courteous."

"Oh." Finn said simply, making Rachel giggle.

They walked up to Finn's house hand in hand. Rachel became more and more nervous with each step.

"It's okay," Finn said to her. "She's going to absolutely adore you. I promise."

Rachel nodded as they made the last few steps to the front door. Finn opened the door for her and allowed her to walk in first. Rachel looked around the entry hall, admiring all the photographs along the walls.

"Finn?" Rachel heard a woman's voice coming from another room of the house. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm just stopping by to change to go to Santana's house," Finn called back. "Can you come here? There's someone I'd like you to meet." He reassuringly smiled down at Rachel.

Rachel heard footsteps coming towards them and soon enough a shorter middle-aged woman came into the room.

"Oh, hello," the woman smiled at Rachel. "Finn, who is this?"

"I'm Rachel," Rachel introduced herself, shaking the woman's hand.

"Rachel? The Rachel? I've heard so much about you!" the woman smiled. "You can call me Carole."

"Hi Carole," Rachel replied, smiling broadly. "It's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Rachel. The moment Finn started talking about this new girlfriend of his I knew I couldn't wait to meet her!"

Rachel smiled up at Finn when Carole mentioned the word "girlfriend." She and Finn hadn't actually discussed their relationship yet, but she knew that she was ready to take that step with Finn.

"Mom, we'll be upstairs. I have to get my things ready to go to Santana's house," Finn interrupted the two women.

"All right. You two have fun tonight. And tell Santana I said hi. I haven't seen her in a while," Carole said. "And it was a pleasure meeting you, Rachel. Come back soon!"

"Okay, thank you, Carole," Rachel replied, following Finn up the stairs to his bedroom. She followed him until they reached the last door on the right and walked inside. Rachel looked around the small bedroom with cowboy decorated wallpaper, brown shaggy carpet, and a drum set in the corner.

"Sorry, I haven't really updated my room since I was like 8," he said sheepishly.

"No, I like it," Rachel smiled, sitting on the bed. "And I don't really have much room to judge anyways. I still have my floral wallpaper and stuffed animals lining the shelves."

Finn smiled, already knowing Rachel's bedroom fit her personality perfectly. "I'm also sorry about my mom. I didn't know she'd say that about us."

"Are you talking about her calling me your girlfriend?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I know we haven't exactly talked about it or anything, and I didn't want her to p-"

"No, Finn, it's fine. Really," Rachel assured him. "Besides, I've been thinking about it, and I kind of like that title."

"Cool," Finn said nervously. "Me too. Well, not girlfriend, but the boyfriend title."

Rachel giggled and smiled up at her _boyfriend._

Finn pulled a pair of regular shorts out of his dresser. "I should probably go change. I'll be right back." He headed out the door and went to the bathroom down the hall. Rachel leaned back against the wall while she sat on his bed. She could get used to this whole girlfriend thing.

* * *

Santana twisted the stick that held her marshmallow over the fire as she waited for it to turn the perfect golden brown color. She glanced up from her perfect task to see Finn and Rachel, sitting next to each other on the bench on the other side of the fire pit. Finn's armed was around Rachel shoulders, while her head rested on his shoulder. They both took small bites out of their marshmallows. Santana smiled at the couple.

Finn looked up and noticed Santana staring at him and Rachel rather than her marshmallow. "Hey Santana, nice marshmallow."

Santana jumped up and pulled her stick from the fire when she noticed the flames shooting off of it. She quickly blew it out and frowned at the black blob on the end of the stick.

"Nice one," Finn commented, starting to laugh at the glare Santana was sending him.

"Shut up, Hudson," Santana warned him. "You know I hate burnt marshmallows. Now I have to start another one." She removed the sticky mess from her stick and put on another marshmallow, placing it back into the fire.

Rachel smiled as she watched Finn and Santana bicker about the burnt marshmallow. A few months ago she was a very lonely girl with big Broadway dreams. She now had a boyfriend and a wonderful best friend. Broadway was still her dream, but this… this was her destiny.

* * *

**Aaawwwwww :)**

**Finchel forever! :)**

**I'll try to update soon!**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry for the wait! I have had close to no time to write lately! It's been super crazy around here lately. But, I managed to write this chapter within the free time that I had, so enjoy!**

* * *

Flowers were everywhere. Mostly chrysanthemums. Purple and white banners hung from all the rows along the aisle of the church. Soft music played in the background, calming the mood, making the room have a soft feel.

Friends and family gathered around to celebrate the marriage of Ronald and Laurie. Ronald and Laurie had been planning their June wedding all winter long. Their save the date cards arrived in late January, notifying everyone to leave the date unreserved.

Rachel was thrilled when she discovered the significance of Ronald and Laurie's wedding date. She made the discovery in mid February while she and Finn were cuddled up together in front of the fireplace at his house.

Her head was tucked in between his jaw and shoulder as she watched the fire flicker away in front of them. She gasped when she had the realization and sat up suddenly, startling Finn.

"Finn," she began, turning to face him, suddenly feeling colder without being next to the warmth of his body. "Do you know what day Ronald and Laurie's wedding is?"

Finn sat back against the couch, amused at his girlfriend's enthusiasm, "No, what day is it?"

"It will be our ten month anniversary!" Rachel exclaimed, imagining being with Finn for ten whole months.

Finn smiled as he thought about the same thing Rachel was. He and Rachel had already been dating for six months. Six glorious, amazing, incredible, fantastic months. The two were practically inseparable. The only time they were ever separated was when Santana refused to see the two "loving it up" and spent the entire time the three of them were together standing in between Finn and Rachel.

Finn and Rachel now sat side by side in the church as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Neither of them could believe that they had only been together for 10 months. It felt like they had known each other forever. Even in the early times of their relationship, they always knew what the other wanted and they always knew how to make the other happy.

Rachel thought back to the first time she and Finn exchanged "I love yous."

_It was when Finn convinced her to play a little backyard football with her. Rachel kept putting the idea off, claiming that football and her did not go together, but when Finn pulled out his pouting face, she couldn't resist. He dragged her outside to the back yard with his football in hand. Rachel was so nervous; she couldn't even begin to describe the way she was feeling. She didn't have the slightest idea of what to expect. Sure, she had seen football on TV before, but to her it was just bunch of men chasing a ball around a field and tackling each other._

_Her nerves were soon gone, however, and she found herself actually enjoying the game. She knew that Finn was going easy on her with the way he slowed down his running pace, and tickled her sides to get her to drop the football whenever he got close to her. They spent he entire afternoon laughing, and once their game was over they laid down on the grass to catch their breath._

_Rachel pointed up a cloud in the sky, saying that it was shaped like a heart._

_Finn looked at her, all dressed up in one of his old football jerseys, and smiled. "I love you, Rachel," he had said, immediately capturing her attention. _

_Rachel looked over at him with wide eyes, and when she saw the loving look in his eyes, only one thing was on her mind. "I love you too."_

Rachel grinned at the memory; still remembering it like it was yesterday. She rested her head on Finn's shoulder at the thought. Finn made her happier than she had ever been in her entire life. She felt Finn wrap an arm around her shoulders when she placed her head on his shoulder.

Suddenly music filled the church, and the bridal party began to walk down the aisle. Everyone stood for the arrival of the bride, anticipating seeing her dress for the first time.

Laurie and her father entered the aisle way and began their walk down towards Ronald. Rachel watched her with a huge smile on her face. She remembered when Laurie first met Ronald. She was so shy around him and it took all of the cousins to convince her to go and talk to him. Once she did make a move to go and talk to him, they couldn't stop talking. They had instant chemistry, which always made Rachel jealous. She wanted to have that chemistry with someone more than anything (with the exception of Broadway, or course). Now she stood next to a guy she had loads of chemistry with, and she couldn't help but think that someday it would be her wedding day with Finn. Her heart melted at the thought of reciting her vows to Finn on their wedding day, while they were surrounded by all of their friends and family.

She glanced up at Finn, to see that he was already looking at her, and by the look in his eyes, she knew that he was thinking the same thing.

* * *

Finn spun Rachel around as they danced along to the music playing at the wedding reception. Rachel laughed as he pulled her back into his arms and swayed along to the music.

"Happy anniversary," he said lightly into her ear so she'd hear his words over the sound of the music.

"Happy anniversary," Rachel replied, "and many more to come." She pulled him closer to her, "I love you, Finn. This has truly been the best 10 months of my entire life. Thank you for letting me love you."

Finn smiled at her, "No, thank you, Rachel Berry, for letting my love you. I was so torn up over my left relationship, I didn't think I'd be able to get back up again, but you helped me up."

"Nah," Rachel said, "I was just a girl at the dress shop that helped you tie your tie."

Finn chuckled, "I should probably learn how to do that." He remembered early that morning, when she had to tie his tie for him, as she did every time he had to dress up.

"What's the fun in that?" Rachel smirked, leaning back a little so she could see his face, "It's how we met. You can't change our destiny."

"I think our relationship will survive me tying a few ties in the future," Finn replied.

Rachel laughed, "I guess we will just have to find out." They swayed for a moment longer until Rachel pulled out of their embrace. "I need to go and use the little girls' room. I'll be right back."

"Okay, I'm going to go and get something to drink," Finn responded. He kissed her before they parted, and watched her walk off towards the bathroom.

Rachel entered the bathroom off to the side of the large room. She stopped on her way to a bathroom stall when she saw Laurie standing near the sink dabbing a tissue all over her face.

"Hey, Laurie, is everything okay?" Rachel asked, walking over to where Laurie was standing.

"Yes, everything is great," Laurie replied, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "I just came in here to cool off. I don't think I've ever danced so much in my entire life."

Rachel laughed, "I know what you mean. I'm having a great time tonight, by the way. It was a beautiful ceremony earlier, and this reception is incredible."

"Thank you so much, Rachel. It means a lot," Laurie said, throwing her tissue into the trashcan. "Did you find a good dance partner out there?"

"Oh, I brought my boyfriend actually," Rachel responded. "He is your friend Carole's son, Finn."

"Finn, I remember Finn!" Laurie exclaimed. You two are dating now? How sweet. I remember he called me once asking about you. I'm glad to see that everything worked out all right. How long have the two of you been together? It has been a while since that phone call I got from him."

"Today is actually our ten month anniversary," Rachel told her.

"Oh, really? How special! I'm so happy for the two of you!" Laurie said.

"Thank you," Rachel replied. "He means so much to me, and I can only hope that someday we have what you and Ronald have."

"I'm sure you will Rachel. If you set your mind to it, you can have whatever you want," Laurie promised her. Laurie glanced at the door. "I should probably get back out there. Ronald is probably wondering where I am."

"It was nice talking to you," Rachel said before Laurie exited the restroom.

"It was nice talking to you too, Rachel. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Thanks, you too," Rachel said. Rachel proceeded to use the restroom after Laurie left to go back to Ronald. Laurie's words stuck in Rachel mind. _If you set your mind to it, you can have whatever you want. _Rachel smiled to herself. Things were finally starting to look up for her.

When Rachel exited the restroom her eyes scanned the room for Finn. She finally found him on the other side of the room fiddling with his tie. She watched him in amusement as he kept trying to retie the tie he had untied for some reason.

Finally, she took pity on him and crossed the room over to where he was standing. "Need any help?" She asked.

He turned to face her, smiling when he realized who had come to his rescue. "I really need to learn how to do this."

Rachel giggled and grabbed his tie, beginning to retie it for him. When she was finished she grabbed the middle of his tie and pulled him down towards her, kissing him. She pulled back and smiled, one phrase popping into her head.

"If you set your mind to it, you can have whatever you want."

**_The End_**

* * *

**All right, there's the end :)**

**I REALLY enjoyed writing this story. And I hope you guys enjoyed reading it :)**

**A special thank you to all my reviewers! Reviews are the reason I keep on writing.**

**-And just because this story is over doesn't mean you have to stop reviewing! :) :)**

**Make sure to keep checking my page; I'm already thinking of a new Finchel story to write! I don't know what to call it or what the summary will be, but I've already written the first chapter and I hope I'll be able to post it soon :) I'm really excited about it :)**


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